The Affair:Should I be concerned that I am drinking too much when I start forgetting to do simple things?

Last night I did something really stupid. After enjoying some discussion about Syncline wine, different types of enclosures, and VA wine (thanks to all of the sweet VA folks representing), I realized that I forget to hit the record button before last night's TWWTV! Normally I would post the video so anyone who missed it could check it out, but due to my stupidity, I'll have to make due with written words instead. I promise I won't forget next week, although I'm sure I'll forget to do something else! :P

Oh, so you're probably wondering about the wine, eh?

This Rhone style red from Washington was actually pretty radical! Of the two bottles, I favored the fuller, more aggressive Grenache dominated blend of the Cuvee Elena. The Subduction Red was also tasty and cost about $17 less, but offered a much softer Syrah dominated blend. Both wines were made well, and well worth a sip.

After TWWTV was over, I made love to the Cuvee Elena until the last drop was gone! Unfortunately, I was drinking for two last night, and didn't have any help from the Mrs. finishing the wine or I would have gone for more of the Subduction Red. I'll save this bottle for tonight so I can see how well it stands up to a day of "aging".

Thank you to everyone who joined me last night on TWWTV. It's really cool to be able to talk with other people who love wine as much as I do from around the world. I hope one day we can all share a bottle together in person, but until then, it's just nice to know we have other ways of drinking together!

Hope you all have an awesome weekend! What will you be pouring into your cup/glass/mug/funnel to celebrate?

I'm all for drinking GOOD wine... and I don't mind paying a small premium for the honor to taste such well crafted juice... but sometimes there are some affairs that just leave you disappointed. It's kinda like expecting to get in bed with Pam Anderson, but ending up with Rosie O'Donnell instead. The wine doesn't have to necessary be BAD to be a disappointment. It's just that the hype and pricetag doesn't live up to the experience.

Call it wine charity or whatever else you will, but I wouldn't be doing my part to help the wine community if I didn't share my experiences, both good and bad. There are a lot of bottles that I don't get for free, shell out a decent amount of hard earned cash, and then wish I had saved it for my retirement instead. Maybe if more people shared these types of experiences, the pricetags on these bottles would match the actual quality of the juice and not quantity of its hype.

There's one bottle in particular that gets a lot of action in the wine world. In fact, there are few wine connoisseurs out there who have not had an affair with the famous Bordeaux blend named Opus One. But here's the secret that they won't necessarily tell you:

There are a lot of BETTER bottles you can buy for the $200-$300 price Opus One normally fetches!

Buy it young and you may save a little, but chances are, you won't be patient enough to age it long enough for its beauty to mature. In any case, there are few people out there who would argue that there aren't a ton of other bottles out there that would totally kick Opus One's ass... for less than $100!

So why does Opus One sell for so much?

Easy, more hype equal more $$$. Remember those stupid looking Z. Cavaricci pants we all wore in the 80's. Didn't they look stupid? Yeah, well do you also remember how much people were willing to pay for 'em too? Enough said!

For the love of wine, please spread the word about bottles like Opus One... unless of course you're still wearing Cavaricci's... in that case, there's nothing I can do to help you!

The Affair:Few reds from California capture the characteristics from Bordeaux that I love most. Last night's affair however took me right back to the place where wine is king and everything just seems to taste and drink so well.

This red blend consisting of 33% Dry Creek Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Riebli Valley Syrah, 17% Dry Creek Merlot, 11% Dry Creek Cab Franc and 5% Russian River Petit Syrah is crafted to be food friendly thanks to an appropriately controlled alcohol content. To capture the pyrizine "perfume" of Bordeaux, the grapes used to make this wine were harvested with lower than typical sugar levels. Chemistry and winemaking aside, this wine is elegant and will age well through the next decade.

Last night's affair was nothing less than satisfying. Homemade spaghetti and meatballs followed a savory crab dip. Oddly enough, this red blend complimented both the dip and the balls with grace, style, and a seductive taste that left me wanting much, much more!

The Affair:Since this bottle arrived last week, I've been stoked to crack it open. Joe and the folks over at Langetwins like to tease me by only sending one bottle at a time... but you know what? Every bottle they've sent has been really good! I'll take quality over quantity any day!

These aren't mind blowing wines that make you contemplate life, love, and the grape. These wines are sorta like that comfy pair of blue jeans you always like to wear. They sorta have a signature taste that fits perfectly to my palate. All of the bottles from Langetwins that I have tried so far, have been smooth with just the right amount of alcohol, fruit, and tannins. Enough to be bold without crossing the line of being obnoxiously out of balance. For their reasonable prices, I would say that Langetwins makes some great wine!

When I found out that this was their first vintage of Pinot Noir, I have to admit that I was a little worried. Would I like this one as much as I did their Viognier or even their purple-teeth Petit/Petite? You know how I am about Pinots too! An awkward situation seemed immanent.

Last night, the wife left me in charge of making dinner. With her instructions, I attempted to make a whole-wheat penne pasta with spicy Italian sausage and marinara. I felt like a light red wine was in order to go with this meal so I anxiously snatched up the opportunity to put the Pinot from Langetwins to the test.

Now I don't know if it's just the fact that we are drinking more Pinot Noir in the casa de Watson or just dumb luck, but we have been satisfied with the last couple of bottles of this grape that. This bottle was no exception. Not only did it go well with the meal, but it actually reminded me of that characteristic Langetwins taste that I enjoy. My only complaint was that the affair didn't last long enough. Between my wife and I, this bottle didn't see past last night's American Idol. Truly the mark of an enjoyable bottle!

Is it just me, or do any other wineries actually have a "personality" when it comes to their wine and the different varietals they produce?

In any case, thank you Joe and the folks over at Langetwins for making my Tuesday ten times better!

You see, it's not like me to do such things, but after receiving repeatedly antagonizing comments from two of my fellow wine bloggers, I felt that my Wine Bloggers Spotlight post was warranted. Looking back on my decision, I realize that my judgment was clouded by my emotions, and consequently I took things too far.

I would like to formally apologize to you, Lenn Thompson and Dale Cruse. I hope you will accept my apology and forgive me for my actions.

To show my sincerity, I dug into my whorish wine cellar to send you both a gift. I know you are both modest, but it's too late. It's already in the mail. I hope you both will cherish this bottle of California's finest Barefoot "Reserve" Chardonnay (pictured above) as much as I do. Although, I know it may never repair the damage I caused, I hope it helps us one day become friends once again.

You may spend a lot of time tasting, discussing, and learning about wine, but how much time do you spend thinking about its container? With the idea of going green and reduced consumption gaining so much attention lately, it's not surprising to see these buzzwords budding around the vineyards as well.

According to this article, a company named Kingsland Wines and Spirits is taking some pretty significant steps towards reducing glass usage through a new and improved bottle. While you can expect a "standard" wine bottle to clock in at around 420g, Kingsland's new glass bottle only weighs 300g. With the help of a little math mojo, they figure that this reduced weight could actually cut CO2 emissions by over 2,500 tons a year.

If you're like me, the first question that comes to your mind is "How will this change the way I collect, drink, and enjoy wine?" The good news is that aside from the reduction in weight, nothing else perceivable to the wine drinker will change. Awesome! I normally wouldn't buy into these sorts of things, but this seems like a product that may actually provide a real benefit.

Oh wait, I just realized something... the article fails to mention what these new bottles cost? Is this form of going green going to wind up costing the consumer more green in the end?

What do you think? Does it matter either way? Would you be willing to pay more for these new bottles?

I've been doing these weekly shows for almost six months now. Over the last six months, I've tried a lot of things.... Some good, some bad, and the jury's still out on the rest.

Personally, I enjoy these shows the most when it's more of a wine forum that a wine lecture. In other words, I like it when I get to talk but also listen. This week, I'd like to take it one step further by listening to YOUR ideas for the topic of this week's show.

Please use the comment form below to suggest a topic of conversation for this week's TWWTV and then join me LIVE as we distract ourselves from everyday life for a half hour by drinking and discussing wine together.

The folks over at Montaluce are doing up a Wine and Food Conclave featuring my favorite two things: wine and food! I haven't figured out whether I'm going to drive up from Tampa or just take a plane, but either way, I wouldn't miss this... no friggin' way!

...The fact that all of these celebrity dumbasses can have their name on a bottle without knowing a damn thing about the stuff.

Disagree?

Just check out the newest diva to announce her line of Angel Champage. Hey Mariah! Just because you are a lush doesn't mean you should start selling the stuff. Put the grapes down and go back to singing about touching your body.

Now, I don't know much (if anything) about wine... But I bet I could still make a better bottle of wine than half of these celebs if given the chance.

... Not that they THEMSELVES ever make "their wine" in the first place.

What do you think? Ever try Vince Neil's Dr. Feelgood? Is Dan Aykroyd's juice more than just a bad joke?